Brakes Dragging

Slater85

SCCoA Member
I usually find my answers by searching but i couldn't this time. Sorry for the long read but i wanna give you guys all the background info to make it easier to find a solution. I have a '90 SC with a brake problem. Initaially it was a hard pedal so the car was parked for about 3years with that being the only problem with the brakes.

I recently did the conventional swap with the '90 tbird booster, 93 crown vic master with proportioning valve, and the longer pushrod. All parts purchased from autozone. Took it around the block the car had a real low pedal but the brakes dragged! so i adjusted the rod until i had the feel right but the brakes still dragged.
So i bought all 4 remanufactured calipers from autozone swapped them thinking it would fix the problem but it didnt, all 4 still drag and i know this because they start to smoke. Now i know you cant always trust a new part in a box to work but all 4 being bad is hard to believe so i think its something else. I also exchanged the booster at autozone since it was new still no luck, and i picked up a master at a local junkyard that didn't fix it either.

I did some research on this forum on how to fix the abs, ran the tests and came to the conclusion it was the accumulator ball, I ended up putting the ABS back in with the new ball and the hard pedal is gone the brakes feel great but they still drag. I checked the lines and found no pinches, and the hoses don't look bad no cracks or anything. When the car was parked I had the Front calipers off the car for more than a year so air was in the lines all that time, could that have ruined my hoses and lines from the inside? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

By the way if anyone is interested i have a new '90 Cardone booster with the long pushrod, New '93 Crown Vic BENDIX Master, crown vic proportioning valve, and a '90 Used tbird master from my swap that im selling since im gonna stick with the ABS.
 
>When the car was parked I had the Front calipers off the car for more than a year so air was in the lines all that time, could that have ruined my hoses and lines from the inside?

Ouch - never leave a brake system/component open to the air. Brake fluid attracts moisture....moisture leads to rust.
 
When i bleed the brakes i get fluid at all four corners and it seems normal.

You think my lines are rusted on the inside not letting the fluid return? how would i be able to check?
 
when the brakes are locked up have you tried opening the bleeder valves or opening the brake lines at the master cylinder to see if fluid comes out and relieves pressure? that should give you a better idea if something is releasing or not. for the handful of times i have come accross this situation it is has been master cylinder, booster, pushrod related.

when one wheel is locking up it was typiclly a bad caliper, sliders are frozen, or brakes are not adjusted properly.

I did read on some forum that rubber brake lines can fail internally causing the brakes not to release once pressure has been applied. i do not know how true it is, but id thought i would throw it out there.
 
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I switched back to the ABS so the master, booster, or pushrod can't be the problem. I was thinking the hoses too, so ill probably get the SS braided ones soon.
The funny thing is only the front calipers were off the car, why would the rears drag also if rusting is the case?
 
I switched back to the ABS so the master, booster, or pushrod can't be the problem. I was thinking the hoses too, so ill probably get the SS braided ones soon.
The funny thing is only the front calipers were off the car, why would the rears drag also if rusting is the case?

have you tired opening the bleeder valves at the calipers when everything is locked up to see if it releases pressure, and allows the rotors to spin freely?
 
i havn't tried opening the bleeder valves after but ill try that today.

That just reminded me of something, I dont get the wheels fully locked up what happens is the wheels spin freely when i have it on jacks and when its idling in drive the car rolls normally, after a quick drive around the block smoke comes out of the wheel area and when idling it no longer rolls but if i wait like twenty minutes or so the brakes are back to normal.
 
i havn't tried opening the bleeder valves after but ill try that today.

That just reminded me of something, I dont get the wheels fully locked up what happens is the wheels spin freely when i have it on jacks and when its idling in drive the car rolls normally, after a quick drive around the block smoke comes out of the wheel area and when idling it no longer rolls but if i wait like twenty minutes or so the brakes are back to normal.

get the brakes to the problem state and then open the bleeder on the caliper and see if the wheel will spin freely afterwards. that will tell you if y you have pressure to the brakes when the brake pedle is not applied. if that is the case then you would keep doing that until it no longer makes a difference with the brakes or if you run out of lines to open wich may lead you to the problem.
 
I'll bet the rubber line going to that caliper is plugged up....:rolleyes:

They are cheap and easy to replace....:p
 
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